On Friday evening, May 4, a death sentence was carried out as 40-year-old Robert Earl Butts Jr. was executed by lethal injection 22 years after committing an unforgivable crime.

Robert was tied to a gurney and kept his eyes shut throughout the entire procedure. He refused to accept sedatives. After the warden delivered a tube of deadly drugs to his system, the poison soon kicked in.

Robert’s attorneys, however, disagree with the actions taken. According to them, Butts wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger and didn’t expect Corey to get killed. Furthermore, they claim that the death sentence was “grossly disproportionate,” because even though Butts was 18 at the time of the incident, his maturity and mental age were at a level of a minor.

For these reasons, and the failure to investigate the case thoroughly and present mitigating evidence, Butts’ attorneys remain convinced that the death sentence was unjustified.